A new paper published in Science Direct and co-authored by Regenis’ Director of Research and Technology, Dr. Craig Frear, shows promising results on using post-digested dairy fiber as the primary feedstock to clean biogas and to remove odors in animal waste.

The study, funded through the USDA, demonstrated when animal waste run through an anaerobic digester is exposed to the chemical process of pyrolysis at high temperatures over a sustained period of time, it creates a natural, charcoal-like substrate called biochar, which can then be used to clean the hydrogen sulfide in biogas so it can meet the standards for a clean transportation fuel like CNG.

Additionally, once it has scrubbed the hydrogen sulfide, the spent biochar is rich in soil nutrients like carbon and sulfur, giving dairies the option of applying it to their fields to increase the organic content of their soil or creating another revenue source by selling the environmentally friendly substrate to help farmers and gardeners create a pH balanced soil full of nutrients which improves water and oxygen retention.